


Masque de Personnalités

by BeeTeeDubya14



Series: Masque de Personnalités [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Miraculous Ladybug Fusion, Alternate Universe - Persona Fusion, Audrey Bourgeois' A+ Parenting, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Bee Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Bob Roth Is Evil, F/F, F/M, Fox Kagami Tsurugi, Gabriel Agreste is an Asshole, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth is a Bitch-Ass Motherfucker, Gen, Horse Max Kanté | Pegasus, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Justice, Kwami Swap, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Lukagami I guess, M/M, Miraculous Holder Chloé Bourgeois, Miraculous Holder Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Monkey Lê Chiến Kim | Roi Singe, New Miraculous Holders, Past Rape/Non-con, Physical Abuse, Rabbit Alix Kubdel | Bunnyx, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion, Social Justice, Turtle Chloé Bourgeois, With a new name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-10-05 21:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20495693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeTeeDubya14/pseuds/BeeTeeDubya14
Summary: Nobody knew where Mutat came from, or how she got her powers. What they knew was she existed and what her powers were. They’d seen her in action, and learned that while she was fearsome, she was not to be feared.Unless you were a bad person, that is.Mutat was a special heroine, one who despite her lack of Miraculous could fight on par with those who did. She targeted people who did terrible things even without Hawkmoth’s influence.This is her story.





	1. Mutat Mundum - She Changes The World

It all began in Marinette & Adrien’s first year of lycée. Lila was unfortunately still going strong with her control of almost all of the class, and coupled with the continued existence of Hawkmoth, Marinette was miserable. Once Adrien learned Lila threatened her, however, he eventually ended up abandoning the high road and started planning with her to take her down. Nothing was working, even with the help of Chloe, Sabrina & other classes’ friends.

The first day had a new teacher for Marinette’s first period World History class. Miss Ecko Bunker - she refused the title of Mademoiselle - was a bit peculiar in personality, but it was clear she was a good teacher. She noticed things despite how she’d get sidetracked by herself in lectures - she had talked with Marinette after their first class, easily noticing her & the other enlightened teens’ distress when Lila spoke. Once everything was explained, Miss Bunker smirked and told her a little secret.

“The wings of change are coming,” she had said, “and I think they will carry you to happiness. Trust me, please.”

One week later, Lila was leaving the school with her “entourage” for lunch break while Marinette, Adrien & other knowing friends sat and ate with each other when a masked figure dropped from the sky, sticking the landing in front of Lila & her “friends.”

Before anyone could scream, the woman held up a hand, saying “Don’t worry! I’m not one of those akuma things!” The fact that she called them “akuma things” quickly convinced everyone she wasn’t one, but it did raise more questions.

Continuing, the new face said, “I am Mutat, the Mistress of Change, and I’ve come to talk with one Lila Rossi. Where might she be?”

Eagerly, everyone pointed at the liar in question, except for Marinette & Adrien, who wanted to sneak away and transform but were also curious if she was a threat or not; ergo them staying & waiting it out.

Mutat handed her a piece of hard paper; upon further inspection, it appeared to be a envelope-sized card. 

“Read it,” Mutat simply said, and Lila - the utter fool! - did.

> _“Lila Rossi, mendacious fabulist of Collège Françoise Dupont:_
> 
> _ I know you have told countless lies without remorse, and not only threatened to destroy the livelihoods of many but succeeded in doing so for some. I will bring the truth of what you’ve done to light and restore justice to the halls of this school. _
> 
> _ Signed, Mutat, Changer of Hearts.” _

Lila paled once she’d finished reading. The rest of the class almost wanted to groan, but then a look akin to a disgusted walrus overtook the popular girl’s features. 

“Lila,” Alya began, “is what this card says true?”

Lila, now shaking in place, opened her mouth to speak when a black, gooey material shot out of it. Landing on the floor, it began to swirl around before taking the form of Lila. This Lila was different, however - she was a dark black in color, and she was dressed in regal robes complete with a crown.

“What is that?” shrieked Chloe.

“Lila’s Shadow,” Mutat explained, “a creature born from this girl’s twisted desires & distorted heart. Only those with a bad distorted worldview have these, which doesn’t speak positively of Lila Rossi, does it? I came here to beat Shadows like this one here into submission & expose the truth behind their actions.” 

Reaching for the back of their neck, Mutat whipped out a spiked bat and assumed a battle stance. Giving a glance to the rest of the school, including the woozy real Lila, she snarled “If there’s a time to run, it would be now.”

The local heroes had already done so. Shadow Lila abruptly hunched over, before exploding in another burst of dark & gooey material. When it cleared, an equally-dark-colored version of Volpina stood there.

* * *

“Master, a Wild Card has appeared.”

“The what? Nooroo, what do you mean by a ‘Wild Card’?”

“The Wild Card & any allies they share their power with have the power to edit people’s worldviews, and could essentially change your cognition of everything, alongside having various superpowers they learn slowly. They’re also incredibly tenacious.”

“Will they be in my way?”

“Most likely, not to mention that when they change someone’s heart, it disables any usage of Miraculouses for evil for the rest of that day.”

“IT DOES WHAT?”

In the recesses of his mansion, Gabriel Agreste quickly collected himself, lowering his voice back to normal.

“Thankfully,” Nooroo quickly added on, “making these changes takes a lot of their magic, so they can only do it so frequently.”

“That’s good. We will fight them as well when the next time arrives, as I assume they’ll be more than against my akumas.”

A sad look fell on the Moth kwami’s face. “Yes, master…”

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir dropped in just in time to watch Shadow Volpina fly into a wall.

“You must be Ladybug & Chat Noir!” the questionable hero called, not taking her eyes off the recovering Shadow, “My name’s Mutat, and I’ll explain everything later, but for now, please help me take this mendacious monster down.”

The battle raged for a while, the balls of psychic energy Shadow Volpina threw at them not hurting too much and making the fight end faster than the average akuma took.

When it was over, Ladybug cast her Miraculous Cure. It healed the major damages and all injuries Shadow Volpina had caused, but the courtyard was still a mess once it was gone.

“Why didn’t it clean everything?” Ladybug wondered out loud. 

“Isn’t your Miraculous meant to cleanse other Miraculouses’ damages only?” Mutat responded, her voice slightly unsure but mostly confident.

“YOU DON’T HAVE A MIRACULOUS?” Chat Noir yelped.

“I figured the lack of an animal theme made it obvious!” she casually replied, but after a moment of thought, she added, “You know what? You have no non-Miraculous magical experience - of course that’s what you expect! My bad!”

Extending a hand, the newcomer reintroduced herself and explained everything.

Other than the glamour & summoned weapon, one of her powers was the ability to bring out the Shadow by making those who had them read a calling card; there was another power as well, but according to the new heroine, she’d yet to awaken to it.

Ladybug warned her about double-crossing them, but as she’d told them she came to be of use still welcomed her to the team . 

Chat, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet for a small while, then asked her, “What’s the power you haven’t awakened to yet?”

Mutat grimaced, but she still informed them, “What can you tell me about someone called ‘Hawkmoth’?”


	2. Moral Principals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ladybug & Chat Noir learn a little more about Mutat and how her powers work.  
Oh, and they help her get a new one.

The following night, Mutat officially met with the other two heroes and discussed everything. Mutat had already explained her part of the story. Ladybug & Chat Noir were relieved to know Hawkmoth couldn’t attack on the same day Mutat went through on a target, and asked to try and choose dates where they were open and willing to fight the Shadows of Paris’ population.

“So his powers are basically brainwashing people into becoming his supervillains, and he wants your Miraculouses?”

“Yup.”

“Interesting… how would you like those ‘akumas’ on your side?”

“Are you saying you can turn an akuma to the good side?”

“Unfortunately, no. Purifying akumas is you guys’ thing, though I’ll help fight the akumas too. However, I _ can _ copy the akumas’ powers and create Personas from them once they’re defeated.”

“Create what now?”

“Hoo boy… suppose I’d better explain, then. Personas are the manifestation of one’s true self given superpowers, only able to be activated by those with strong resolutions. Sounds like these akumas are the people that their Persona would take the form of, but they are transformed into that Persona. Essentially, Hawkmoth is turning people into what would be their Personas against their will and forcing them to do his bidding.”

“...yikes.” 

“Wait,” Chat brought up, “then how are you getting Personas from Hawkmoth?”

“I have been given a… special exception that allows me to sometimes ‘copy’ Hawkmoth’s akuma once defeated. I call it _ akuma rehabilitation _, and it allows me to use Personas properly; of course, they will have different powers, and once they’ve used the spell I call them for, they return to me.”

“Where do they go?”

Mutat opened her mouth to answer, but the sound of an explosion caught the trio’s attention. Immediately, all three heroes took off for the source.

* * *

Dark Owl had returned, and he’d gone full brutal-vigilante this time. He was attacking anyone in sight, and that naturally included Mutat, Ladybug & Chat. It appeared Hawkmoth was turning up the heat, which made it much better that Mutat was there. 

The akumatized Mr. Damocles had been keeping them at bay with his explosives, and they needed to get past him to find the principal’s computer and break it.

Groaning as she picked up her bat - she had nicknamed it Heart Attack, because not only was it a pun but she liked to say Shadows would die of a heart attack - she pressed a button hidden on the handle, and a hole opened up on the bottom end. A small red light emanated from inside. 

Whirling it around so that end was pointed at a sneering Dark Owl, Mutat snarled to her allies, “Go find this Albert - I’ll keep this guy busy!” 

As if on cue, a red blast of something shot out of the opening with a _ BANG _, connecting with an explosive boomerang that was headed their way and resulting in a small explosion. The other heroes froze - was Mutat going to shoot the akuma?

Sensing their worry, Mutat smirked and said, “Don’t worry, it’s energy-based, and it can’t kill anyone unless I want it to!”

Relieved enough and trusting Mutat to keep the villain busy, Ladybug & Chat took off for the akuma’s school while Dark Owl faced off with the newest heroine in town. Mr. Damocles' akumatized form didn’t last long, as this time it was the _ heroes _ who weren’t letting the other party get anywhere; therefore, getting to Albert was easy.

When the purified akuma flew out of Ladybug’s yoyo, a flap of its wings as it left produced a tiny ball of white light that flew into Mutat’s mask, being absorbed upon contact.

“_ That’s _ how I get a Persona.” Mutat gave a small grin, turning to the first two heroes and flashing them a thumbs-up as they pounded fists. After a second, she added, “I’ll have to show you how I use them at the next attack. Let’s meet Friday afternoon,” - it was a Tuesday night - “and discuss my next target.”

Ladybug’s mind flashed to Silencer as she saw Luka, Rose & Juleka walking down the fixed streets, the girls holding a cone of Andre’s ice cream in their hands.

“I think I have one in mind.”


	3. Holding Up The Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mutat puts her first Persona to use, Damocles (?) uses superpowers, and the Miraculous wielders pick their first target.

The next akuma that struck was another return.  _ Hawkmoth must be getting desperate,  _ Mutat laughed to herself when she learned it,  _ is this really that common? _

Rogercop had been akumatized over stress about the demands of his job. After word got out about Mutat and her abilities, some criminals gave up there and then. Hawkmoth didn’t appear to be one of them, however, and the stress of handling so many new people led to Roger becoming his akumatized self once more. It was evident in the way Rogercop was unusually focused on Mutat as they fought.

“YOU SHALL PAY FOR GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE LAW.” Rogercop intoned, more of his lasers whizzing by Mutat. Things didn’t seem to be working well; her hammer was easily blocked by Rogercop, and Heart Attack did decent damage for distracting, but little else. Ladybug & Chat Noir weren’t doing much damage either.

An idea crossed Mutat’s mind, and she stopped.

“I’ll make you a deal,” she shouted to Rogercop, “my true self for your akumatized item.” 

Ladybug and Chat Noir gave her a look that screamed  _ ARE YOU DUMB _ , but Mutat just gave them a wink before turning to Rogercop, who after mulling it over with Hawkmoth, gave the heroine a nod of acceptance. Mutat just grinned; it was the sort of grin that could make you fearful for your life if you didn’t know your circumstances.

“Very well then… I’ll show you my self.”

Rogercop made a motion towards her, but she went on, “Not myself, but my self - my other me.”

She grabbed her mask, and with a cry of “PERSONA!” she ripped it off. Blue flames erupted from the street beneath her feet, swirling around before forming what appeared to be Dark Owl, but different. It was designed like the akumatized form of Mr. Damocles, but it had the coloring of his heroic “alter ego.”

Mutat seemed to be lost in her own world for a second, but then her eyes flashed open, revealing them to have turned from the normal hazel to a golden yellow. 

The woman roared, “Schoolmaster, Garu!” and sharp green winds flew in from nowhere, damaging Rogercop much better than anything already thrown the super-cop's way. Disoriented, Rogercop collapsed to the ground.

Mutat called out to the other two heroes, who had watched in awe as the Persona Schoolmaster retreated back into Mutat’s mask. “Come on, let’s finish this! If you don’t know what’s gonna happen, just follow my lead!”

Ladybug & Chat could feel it - the sudden boost in synergy & energy. Knowing what to do somehow, they rushed in with Mutat, and together the three heroes unleashed a barrage of strikes on the downed fuzz.

Rogercop slowly got up, woozy from the onslaught of blows caused by a hammer, yo-yo & bo staff. He didn’t last long, however; he keeled over just as Mutat landed behind & struck a cool pose. 

Once again, the little ball of light went from the purified akuma to the heroine’s mask. She smiled, before Ladybug’s voice caught her attention.

“What was that we just did?”

“I believe it’s called an All-Out Attack, Bug. It’s supposed to be a finishing move, though I’ll admit I don’t know how it works. I do know, however, that I have to hit the target’s weak point to use it.”

That night, the heroes met up once more to discuss the first target of their little group. It had only been a few days, but Ladybug & Chat were comfortable with the new face.

“So who’d you have in mind, Miss Bug?”

“Do you know who Bob Roth is?”

“It sounds… familiar, but ultimately, no.”

“He’s extremely greedy, and has temporarily succeeded in stealing fresh talents’ songs for his son XY. Used to be my favorite musician’s producer, but a while after his akumatization they split up.”

“Sounds like a good target. Give me a few days and I’ll have a calling card ready to go.”

“Do you really need a few days to write the card?”

“Hey now, I’m an adult with a job! I’m gonna have more responsibilities in my civilian form than kids like you two…”

Looking at their pale faces, Mutat gave a guilty head-scratch before continuing, “Not meaning to discount your skills or anything, but you guys can’t be a day over twenty, so you have less responsibilities as civilians.”

Another beat.

“No, I don’t know your identities. I’m not going to pursue them, and if I do, there’s gonna be a darn good reason, most likely the defeat of Hawkmoth and…” she grew somber for a second, “any other threats that may come your way.” 

Ladybug and Chat decided to ask later.

“Either way,” Mutat resumed, “if you want to pass the time, go gather evidence so I can better the card. I’m meant to be a causer of change, not a maker; did you notice my first target Lila wasn’t magically remorseful for her behaviors after I gave her the calling card? False accusations ruin the card, either strengthening the Shadow or making it fail to work in the first place.”

“That makes enough sense.” Chat yawned. 

The three said their goodbyes before heading to each of their homes, each of them eager to reform the world.


	4. Lust & Roth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which more Personae are gathered, a new wielder is chosen, and a target is taken down.

As the week went by, Hawkmoth attacked with 2 more akumas on Thursday & Saturday; first the return of Copycat, then the introduction of Desperada. With the help of the Persona forms of Rogercop - Warm Fuzz - and later Copycat, who was rehabilitated into Impurrsonator, even the addition of a giant panther amok with Copy Cat wasn’t enough to stop the new heroes.

Warm Fuzz had used a Nuke-type spell called Frei, and Impurrsonator had used a Curse-type spell called Eiha when Mutat summoned them. Schoolmaster also made a return once or twice, using a new spell called Sukukaja to help Ladybug, Chat Noir, Aspik (who looked oddly like Chat to Mutat) & Viperion dodge and land attacks. When it was all over, Mutat gained the power of Miss Music and her moves Twin Slash & Kouha.

That Friday night, the first thing Mutat did when the three main heroes met was wave an envelope.

“It’s not for us, is it?” Ladybug asked, a little worried there was something she’d done that warranted a calling card.

“Nope,” Mutat replied, “this isn’t for you. Calling cards don’t work on those who are currently wielding a Miraculous - hence me not sending Hawkmoth a calling card via a way where he could see it. It’s for that Bob Roth guy you wanted to be the target. Thanks for gathering info, by the way.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir had gone around and after interrogating victims, found that the producer’s list of crimes went beyond stealing credit for XY’s songs. In his younger days (his mid-20s to mid 30s, which meant he wasn’t young enough to call him stupid), Bob Roth had…  _ violated _ a few women, and used his power to get away with it. He had been clean since his last attack, when he was about 35 - this was with XY’s mother - but it didn’t excuse his behavior. Ladybug suggested getting a Miraculous to aid them, and after careful deliberation, it was generally agreed that the fourth hero for this battle would be the Turtle.

Marinette had forgiven and restarted her bonds with the entirety of the class except for Lila, who had  _ post-vero _ (after the truth) moved to another school. They had sworn to not take her for granted, and they’d made good on their promise so far. Marinette had started bonding more with Chloe, the two having fixed their rivalry, and recently Marinette had been extra affectionate with the Paris’ Queen Bee, though she couldn’t quite place why that was. Either way, Nino was one of those trusted people, but he could no longer be trusted with the Turtle - it would be a punishment for his lack of loyalty. That did not mean no one else was allowed to use Wayzz’ power, though, and Ladybug quickly had an idea of who.to choose.

The next morning, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Mutat and the newly dubbed Green Heroine made their way to Bob Roth’s record company building. Requesting an audience with him, they only had to wait for so long before Bob Roth -  _ the utter buffoon! _ \- came to meet them.

When they walked outside - as to not get defenestrated once more - Mutat handed him the card, and asked him to read it out loud for everyone.

_ “Bob Roth, the greedy, power-drunk record salesman of Bob Roth Records, _

_ We know you have stolen credit & proper payment due for songs by several other musicians. We know you’ve done multiple molestations of women - including XY’s mother - in your past, using your power and connections to cover them up. _

_ We will take down the travesty that resides in your heart and avenge those who you have wronged. _

_ Signed, Mutat & the Miraculous Team, Changers of Hearts.” _

As pre-planned, people - including the local news & police - had gathered to watch, the latter of which arrived just in time to see Bob Roth release his true self; this time it shot out from his fingers, pouring out like oily strings on a marionette doll to create the Shadow.

The police pulled the violator away from his Shadow - later it would be learned he was taken to jail - as Shadow Bob snarled and transformed.

When the goopy material around him settled, an overly buff version of the producer stood; a representation of the power & strength Bob Roth carried. Funnily enough, he appeared to have “skipped head day, ” as with the exception of his hair - which, had it been that of the normal Bob Roth, would have made him look years younger - was still at its normal size.

Immediately summoning Impurrsonator, Mutat cried out, “Eiga!” and a strong blast of curse energy struck Bob Roth’s alternate form. The Shadow roared an angry roar, and the battle began.

With the three heroes who fought Lila’s Shadow - who Ladybug had nicknamed  _ Herodota, _ albeit against Chat’s wish to call her FOX News - aided by a shield-using Chloe, the Shadow who would be known as Allin fell despite the newness the Turtle had with her shield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My way of doing Shadow reveals is that the Shadow comes from the body part where most of the evil was done from. Lila lied, so it's from her mouth. Bob Roth hurt others physically, so Allin came from his hands.


	5. Archers & Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the next target is chosen, a heroine joins the team officially, & something is learned about sentimonsters.

Miss Bunker cared for all her students deeply, and one thing that she tried to do was get them to feel comfortable enough around her to tell her if they weren’t feeling great. She respected their boundaries, of course, but she still made efforts to make them feel safe in her classroom.

She was also oddly lenient when it came to akuma attacks; according to her, a childhood friend had been manipulated into hating her much like Hawkmoth and Lila had done, and the two hadn’t parted on the terms the teacher had wanted. This sad backstory had sort of scarred her for akumatization even without being akumatized, so she had set it up with the lycée’s principal that when there was an attack, she would give the students work and leave to have a moment to breathe.

Either way, one thing Miss Bunker learned about Chloe was that her mother Audrey was an imperious, snobby dirtbag. 

Mutat brought the idea of fighting her Shadow to the other heroes one afternoon; Green Heroine had been hesitant, but she agreed. After Ladybug & Chat Noir left the meeting, Green Heroine asked Mutat if she was truly one Ecko Bunker.

“Nope! She’s my informant,” the Persona wielder replied cheerily, her reaction not too fast or slow to necessarily prove she was lying, “she looks for targets for me on occasion. Tell her hi for me, will you, Chloe?”

At the paling face of the Turtle wielder, Mutat looked away for a second before saying, “Sorry, Green. I didn’t think about how you’d feel. I know this isn’t a game, and that you care about your mother, but hopefully she hasn’t done anything worthy of serious punishment.”

“I wish I could even hope that isn’t the case,” Green Heroine replied, her tone patient but ready to fight, “I know she’s my mom, and I should have her back-”

“No correlation there, Green. Your mother, despite her bratty personality - no offense meant - is a big girl, and she can take care of herself. She has no excuse to treat you like I’ve heard she treats folks.”

“Good to see you’re on my side here,” Green Heroine smiled, “because I think she’s abusing my daddy. He’s been wearing extra makeup recently, the kind I hear is used to remove bruise marks for abused people. I would have brought this up anyway, so…” 

The look on Mutat’s face might have scared Chloe if she didn’t know the fury displayed was meant for someone that wasn’t her.

“Nevertheless, I don’t think I can bring myself to fight her. Can you pick someone else to aid you?”

“Take that up with Ladybug, it’s her choice. Anyways, I should go make the calling card-”

She abruptly jumped out of the way of an arrow, narrowly dodging it. Dark Cupid had made his return, and it looked like he was being aided by a giant sentimonster themed after a game console. Max & Kim had been in a lovers’ spat earlier in school - in between classes, thank the deities - and this was the result of Hawkmoth’s evil workings playing the two teenagers like toy fiddles.

Ladybug and Chat Noir, who had heard the sounds of fighting, had returned, and the battle was over in record timing thanks to the increased number of heroes (not to mention that the two newer ones could hit the enemies with projectiles).

As a result, Mutat gained the ability to use _Rudra_. Unfortunately, there was no Persona gained from defeating the sentimonster, but during the appearance of Mayura, Mutat gave the Peafowl wielder a strange look that caught her off guard and almost ended in her capture. Mayura felt like the superheroine was staring into her soul, almost as if searching for something.

“What was with that look you gave Mayura?” Green Heroine questioned later on.

“I dunno…” Mutat responded, deep in thought. 

“...just that she looks like someone I’ve met as a civilian, and I’m not sure if it was me or not.”


	6. The Queen of Oil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a correction is made, a few more Personas are gathered, and things both good and bittersweet happen.

If Nathalie Sancoeur was Mayura, then Mutat didn’t know her that well, despite what previous statements might make it seem. The two had met during an introduction to Gabriel, who Mutat honestly liked even less than the subservient Nathalie. 

“Unfortunately, I can’t use the calling card unless I get that Miraculous off of her,” Mutat mused almost a week later, “so my goals align with the Miraculous wielders; I just don’t want any Miraculouses for myself. Sure, they’d be useful, but watching Hawkmoth is all I need to see to say ‘Never mind!’ to such an idea.”

Classes were going well; Marinette and Alya had for the most part restored their friendship, and everyone was getting along with each other almost as well as before. Things would never be the same, but it would be okay.

Eventually, Mutat gained enough energy and made the calling card. It took a lot of her magic to make one, which was why the heroes only made so many targets, and while it didn’t physically exhaust her, her Personas were weakened just a bit.

Thankfully, Audrey was staying in Paris for a while, as Paris’ Fashion Week was coming relatively soon.

They confronted her the day after the attack of Feast, who had been reformed as Appetitan; a few days before that they faced off against Startrain, who became Good Conductor.

Getting a meeting with Audrey was fast; not many people could or would enjoy working for such a pompous snob for long enough to let such a chance get away.

They’d brought extra help alongside that of Green Heroine; Nathaniel, who turned out to have not fallen for Lila’s lies but kept quiet due to fear of further ostracization, was given the Bee Miraculous & dubbed Hanig Bin. He’d seen Lila threaten Marinette - Ecko still scowled at the thought - and had felt bad, apologizing to Marinette a while later for being a bystander and helping occasionally before Mutat appeared and fixed things up.

Audrey wasn’t happy to be interrupted, but she knew that if the local heroes were here, looking for her, something of importance was happening.

Mutat opened up the letter herself this time, and read it out loud for everyone to hear; Audrey - _ the vain, idiotic brat _! - listened as well:

> _ “To Audrey Bourgeois, the stuck-up egotist of _ Style Queen Magazine _ , _
> 
> _ We know you are a cruel boss who has fired not only her workers for the slightest mistake or inconvenience but attempted to fire and ruin others she has no deserved control over. We know you do not take good care of your daughter and abuse your husband, propping yourself on a pedestal of supposed invincibility. _
> 
> _ This will continue no longer - we will defeat the travesty residing in your blackened heart and restore the livelihood of your company! _
> 
> _ Signed, Mutat and the Miraculous Team, Changers of Hearts.” _

This time, the Shadow emanated from her fingertips, not her hands as it had with Bob Roth; the power to do cruel & unjust things was literally as easy as snapping her fingers, after all, and she treated most people as interesting enough for her to file her nails instead of giving them the time of day. Her Shadow Self, like Lila’s, was dressed regally with a crown holding an eerie resemblance to that of her akumatized form; she had a reputation as the _ Queen _ of Fashion, after all.

“Who gave you the right to release me?” the villainous look-alike shouted. “You will learn to mess with the Queen of Style!”

With a cry of “YOU’RE FIRED!” she threw a fire spell Mutat recognized as Agilao from the time she’d gained Bright Girl from a reappearance of Vanisher a while back. The heroes dispersed, dodging more Agilao & to Mutat’s horror, the occasional Hama. The heroes had been warned quickly to dodge Hama at almost any cost - it was an instant knockout, should the attack hit its mark.

As Chat & the Shadow Self - who would later be known as Chrysophilia - exchanged blows, Chat’s staff meeting Chrysophilia’s scepter as the two fought, Mutat went behind the villainess & summoned her Persona.

“Appetitan,” she roared, ripping off her mask and calling the Persona from a fallen sentimonster’s soul, “Bufu!”

Surprisingly, the Ice attack did neutral damage to the one using Fire attacks. Considering the use of Hama, Mutat considered summoning Impurrsonator for a Curse attack, but then she had a thought: Audrey is befitting of such an attribute herself; she’d be at least resistant, right?

_ Or would she...? _

Not many people dared stand up to Audrey Bourgeois, not even her family; who was to say she couldn’t take what she dished out? 

“Impurrsonator,” she bellowed, bringing forth the Persona born from a sculptor’s soul, “Eiga!”

Chrysophilia attempted to dodge, but she leapt smack-dab into Green Heroine’s shield; staggering back in a dizzy stupor, she took the full brunt of the Eiga, defeating the woman and ensuring - alongside the arrest of the actual woman in question - that Audrey Bourgeois would never harm anyone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case the title doesn't make sense, there is a nickname I've heard for oil - Black Gold.


	7. Malacia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last few Personas join in.  
Mutat finishes putting the pieces together.  
Identities are revealed.  
Hugs are given.  
...   
The show begins...

As time went by, more and more Personas came to join Mutat.

A third appearance of the Puppeteer gave her Poppeteer, the return of Simon Says created Magic Man, Syren returned only to reform in the shape of Nereid; even the reappearance of an block-troubled Animaestro resulted in Cinemaster!

Targets flew by, too; Mutat had taken to focusing on minor criminals recently. “It’s merely practice for my next plan,” she’d explained, and Ladybug couldn’t help but understand. They had the power, and even if it wasn’t being used for its main intents, it wasn’t like they were misusing their power to fight Shadows.

Some people disagreed with that statement, but they were a minority and were often die-hard supporters of Mutat’s more famous targets. Mutat wondered if she should focus on them, but ultimately decided against it; the point was to teach people what happens when you don’t act right, not shut up the haters. After all, didn’t having haters mean you were doing something right?

Mutat put that to the side as she pulled out a dossier of important figures she had hidden in the hideout she’d arranged for her and the other heroes, now including Kagami, a.k.a. Kitsuno King Monkey, Pegasus, Viperion & a fresh recruit - Alix had become the Rabbit wielder, but after realizing that’s Mutat’s appearance had thrown the future off the course Bunnix was in, she’d chosen the new alias of Lapine Temporelle. 

_ Chat Noir’s been showing up there in a bad mood more often lately, _ the 26-year-old superheroine mused.  _ If he is who I think he is, and  _ Hawkmoth _ is who I think he is… oh dear. _

That night, Mutat confronted Chat Noir & the others with the situation.

“I think I know Hawkmoth’s identity, but I need to know Lady & Catboy’s true identities first.”

Immediately on guard, Ladybug asked, “Why?”

“Really, it’s Chat I need to know the identity of; if my guesses on Chat & Hawkmoth are correct, then they’re related, and I would rather not risk that compromising us too much.”  
Silence befell the hideout.

Chat finally let out a sigh, but it wasn’t a relieved one. “Bug, Mutat may be right. Ultimately, it’s your call on whether I reveal myself.”  
Ladybug hesitated for a moment, before sighing and nodding. “Fine, but you have to guess first. If you’re wrong, don’t tell us who you are, Chat; that said, do tell us Hawkmoth’s identity either way.”

Mutat nodded, before turning to Chat Noir, hero of Paris. “I’m so sorry, Adrien.”

Everyone else’s eyes bugged out. Pun not intended.

Chat nodded sadly, and Ladybug bit back a shriek of half-happiness & half-horror. She and Adrien had been dating, much to Chloe’s initial unhappiness; even though she was now dating Sabrina herself, she still cared deeply for her childhood friend, but she’d learned from previous times (read: Queen Wasp) and had not been akumatized. Thank goodness.

“Wait a minute,” Green Heroine spoke up once she’d realized the implication of who Hawkmoth was, “Gabriel was akumatized into the Collector before you got here, Mutat.”

Ladybug slowly nodded; had Chat - no,  _ Adrien _ \- revealed himself for nothing?

Mutat shook her head. “Theoretically, Chat could Cataclysm himself, right?” At the room’s unnerved nods, she continued.

“Then it doesn’t strike me as hard for Hawkmoth to akumatize himself. He would just send out the akuma, command it to return, detransform… didn’t you say something about officially renouncing the Miraculous? He would most likely say he was doing that temporarily. Then he’d absorb the akuma, and boom! The Collector shows up and throws you off Hawkmoth’s tracks!”

“But why?” a sniffling Chat Noir cried out, “What does he need that his tons of money can’t buy?”

That gave the room pause. If Hawkmoth really was Gabriel, what was he missing that he would be desperate enough to hunt the Miraculouses for?

Mutat grimaced, before revealing her theory.

“Wasn’t his wife dead or something? He might be trying to bring her back from the grave."

“I don’t know if she’s dead. Fat — Gabriel just said she was…”  _ Ouch.  _ “just ‘gone.’ He didn’t explain if she’d left, or if she was dead, he gave me no details… just that she was ‘gone.’”

That explained little. The sad thing was that Gabriel had a Miraculous; therefore, he could not be given a calling card and brought to justice. 

“Then let’s just get it off him,” Lapine gruffly pointed out, “then all we have to do is give him the card, beat his Shadow and call it a day! We know who he is now, so he’s not hard to find!”

“It’s not so easy now that we know he has a son.”

“He doesn’t _have _a son anymore.” Chat snarled. “But I do live in his prison of a house, which makes it easier.”

There would be a lot of comforting that night.

“There’s also the matter of Nathalie, who I’m presuming is Mayura.” noted Viperion. “What do we do about her?”

“By the looks of it,” Mutat smirked, “she’s a temporary wielder; I finally introduced myself to the Guardian, and according to him, it seems something’s wrong with the Peafowl Miraculous. Something about a curse; he can break it, but he needs to see it first.”

A bright pink light shone through the room of their hideout. When everyone could see again, Marinette was in Ladybug’s place.

“Then she’s our first target; what do you guys think about this plan?” 

At the group’s surprised yet listening nods, she went on to explain. “We fight her Shadow and draw Hawkmoth out, then take his Miraculous and fight his Shadow too!”

Adrien and Marinette engulfed each other in a hug, kissing as if they’d never do it again afterwards.

“Then we have a plan.” Mutat said, “but I know you all have school tomorrow, and I have to work then, too. I’ll swing it so you kids can miss class and meet you near the mansion.”

“How do you intend to do that?” Kitsuno inquired.

Flames rose from Mutat, then died down as fast as they’d come up; when it cleared, Ecko Bunker stood there.

“I told you crazy kiddos,” Mutat winked, “I’ve got your backs until the end.”

A group hug was needed that night, but all parties eventually left, Adrien going with Chloe to the hotel under the previously set-up pretense of Chloe demanding a sleepover like old times.

Ecko smiled to herself as she snuggled into the covers. Everyone was going to be okay.


	8. Tempestatem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Show Reaches An End.  
Or does it?

Adrien, with his connection to the villains of the day, just had to play the role of the perfect son for a bit longer. At one of his photo shoots, they confronted Nathalie and summoned her Shadow; it had taken a while for Mutat to make  _ two  _ calling cards, but it was going to be worth it.

The Shadow - La Paonne, as she would later be dubbed - was dressed in a more formal version of Mayura’s suit. Mutat later realized they were meant to be funeral clothes; the secretary-slash-supervillain’s-sidekick truly hadn’t cared that she was going to become a martyr for Emilie.

Chat Noir wanted to Cataclysm Nathalie’s Shadow, honestly. Gabriel he could accept - Adrien’s sperm donor had been unkind to his last flesh and blood, after all - but Nathalie had tried to be nice to him when she could. This was betrayal.

Mutat noticed all her attacks, no matter their attribute, were doing well on La Paonne. The curse M. Fu mentioned was clearly having an effect on her Shadow, and if the Shadow died… 

Mutat didn’t like any of Nathalie Sancoeur’s actions, but she never wished the supervillainess  _ dead _ . Formulating a plan, she barked out orders to some of the others.

“Cover me, y’all - there’s a change of plans!”

Making a beeline for Gabriel’s mansion, she did a quick scan to figure out the most likely place in there to be Hawkmoth’s hideout. It wasn’t long before she picked out the observatory.

Hawkmoth was certain to be attracted to the loud crashing sound of Mutat smashing through the windows. Sure enough, Gabriel came running, but he stopped short at the sight of the superheroine.

“Howdy-do, Hawkmoth.” Mutat gave a casual wave, as if she hadn’t blown him out of the water. The villain recovered from his shock and confusion when something clicked.

“You’re the Wild Card my kwami warned me about!”

At this, Mutat raised an eyebrow; that was a new title for her, she’d admit, but she certainly wouldn’t say she didn’t like it.

“You might have someone else on that; never been called  _ that  _ in my career before. Nevertheless, I have a proposition for you.”

Gabriel’s own eyes widened. 

“What do you have in mind?”

“Way I see it, you have two options. Either you hand over the Peafowl Miraculous and we’ll come for you later; or you can transform and fight me, lose and give up both Miraculouses.”

Hawkmoth had been told only good things of Mutat; the same could be said of Ladybug, however, so he cried out his phrase, transformed, and with the drawing of Heart Attack, the duel began.

“So, what makes you think you can mistreat your kid? You would have been my target sooner if you weren’t Hawkmoth, you know.”  
“What are you implying? That I attack my child?”  
“No, unless there’s something I don’t know…”

“I do not mistreat my son!”

“It’s not just about the attention you give him, you lepidopterous, lout; it’s about the attention you  _ don’t _ give him, too. You think you can just hold him at arms’ length, drag him through the mud with your sky-high expectations & treat him like nothing more than trinket of a happy past gone sour? Of course he’s gonna rebel against you with the whole school thing, you scumbag! You gotta let him learn to make mistakes, man. Ain’t nobody perfect, no matter how much they might get hyped up to be.”

Hawkmoth and Mutat were now pressing against each other with their weapons. Mutat was using one arm; Hawkmoth, two. Hawkmoth appeared to have the physical advantage.

“Any last words, Wild Card?”  
“It’s Mutat, Mothchild; get it right. And yeah, I got some words for ya; you notice I have an open arm?”

He hadn’t, but he certainly noticed the fist flying for his face. It collided beautifully as a punch to the face can be, and he spiraled to the floor. He wasn’t unconscious, but he had been knocked down and worn out with all the sudden physical action; plus, it had been a few years, and while he was more experienced than Ladybug & company, he was also much older and therefore a bit physically weaker than them.

Mutat walked over to him and grabbed the Moth pin, and after digging a bit, he found the Peafowl brooch in his pocket. What was this schmo thinking, attacking folks for his own selfish goals? 

“I’ve wanted to do this all day,” Mutat smirked, before turning around and heading out. “Toodles!”  
Try as he might, Gabriel couldn’t muster up the energy to chase him. He would eventually fall unconscious, and when he woke up, he was in a cell.

* * *

The next stop was Fu's shop, where Mutat dropped off the two missing Miraculouses. Once the Peafowl had been cured, Mutat scrambled back to the park and found the results of the Shadow.

Nobody was dead or severely injured, thank goodness, but La Paonne - Nathalie had been jailed once the police had been informed of everything, lest mentioning it be forgotten - had forced all heroes but Ladybug & Chat Noir to retreat & recover. It didn’t help that fixing the curse had also helped La Paonne’s defenses.

Looks like it was just the three of them again. Fantastic… 

It was time to summon her Personas once more. Pulling in all her power, she called out spells rapid-fire style.

Agidyne from Bright Girl.

Bufudyne from Appetitan.

Ziodyne from Phase #1, Nadja’s Persona.

Garudyne from Rudra.

Freidyne from Schoolmaster.

Psidyne from Magic Man.

Kougaon from Dynastute, the Persona of Jalil that was accessed before Chrysophilia.

And finally, Eigaon from Impurrsonator.

The spells swirled together and blasted La Paonne, and while it came closer to killing her than Mutat had any other Shadow, the Shadow survived but was defeated, taking out Mayura. With Hawkmoth out of the picture as well, peace could return to Paris.

Quite frankly, it was about darn time.


	9. Antecessor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a backstory is told, a story reaches its conclusion & a hero is reborn.

Mutat told her story to the heroes once it was all said and done.

The story was that she was from a parallel universe, one where no Miraculous people had been good and the takeover of a far more brutal Hawkmoth was swift. He had destroyed their universe, taking him out with it, but a powerful ghost - from Ladybug & Chat Noir’s universe - named Eilime had saved her, educated her in combat, Personas & Shadow Selves, & eventually made her an offer: go to the universe she had lived in when alive & take down all evildoers with the skills she was taught and she’ll have a new home. There had been nothing Eilime could do about Ecko’s home.

Mutat told stories of how her home wasn’t so good anyways - her father was a stubborn bystander who disowned her at 19 because she wouldn’t stop calling out her younger brother’s misbehavior, saying to  _ just let it go, it doesn’t matter _ .

Some things were worth letting go. That wasn’t one of them. Despite her dad’s old-fashioned opinions, he and the world - especially not her birth mother, who had divorced her dad when Ecko was about 5-6 - didn’t deserve the fate they ended up getting.

Ecko had mourned, which was what she’d been doing in between her arrival in Paris & Mutat’s first appearance. The heroes hadn’t faulted her for not helping them ASAP in the slightest.

In time, her path and theirs would separate (read: graduation), but they always met to fight crime every now and then. One day, after Mutat had grown too old to properly fight any more, they presented her with the Moth Miraculous. She dubbed herself Skipper, and Paris would have a protector from all sorts of crimes for the rest of Skipper’s days. 


End file.
